Therapy agreement for sessions with Oli Sylvester (MBACP)
Before booking an appointment, please read through the following guidelines and email me (click here) to indicate you agree.
Payment
Payments are to be made via online bank transfer. Once payment is received your appointment will be confirmed. I advise forwarding payment as soon as possible to ensure your appointment is secured. If you would prefer to pay with cash at the session, then please let me know in advance.
Cancellations
If for any reason you need to cancel or rearrange any sessions I request a minimum of 48 hours’ notice (or longer if possible), to enable me to offer the appointment to somebody else who may need it. Less than 48 hours’ notice of any cancellations/amendments will result in full session fee being owed.
If your appointment is face-to-face and find yourself unable to attend the session due to transport problems etc, there is an option to have the session over telephone or virtually instead.
Timekeeping
I ask that you keep your sessions within the allocated time. Early starts or late finishes cannot be accommodated, as I wish to respect the privacy and valuable time of all my clients.
Booking on behalf of somebody else
When therapy is booked on behalf of somebody else (eg parent booking on behalf of child), it is essential that the client consents completely to attending the sessions.
Courses
Any course sessions must be used within a 12 month period from the time they are purchased. After this they become invalid. No refunds will be given for sessions which have not been used during this period.
Alcohol/Drug use
Attendance under the influence of alcohol or drugs will lead to immediate termination of the session without refund.
Therapy expectations
During therapy, we will collaborate together, utilising a range of interventions in order to reach the desired outcome.
Sessions are 50 minutes in duration. For best results I recommend a regular schedule of sessions to ensure consistency and increase the effectiveness of the therapy.
As with all therapeutic interventions, success cannot be guaranteed. However, I consistently see excellent results from clients who are highly motivated, actively participate in the process, and are willing to put into practice the strategies they learn during the sessions. Please see my testimonials page for feedback from previous clients.
Confidentiality
You can be assured that everything you share with me in the course of our work together will be treated as highly confidential.
However, there are some limits to confidentiality which you need to be aware of:
In accordance with the ethical framework of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), I am required to undertake regular supervision. For this purpose, I may disclose some (anonymous) details of our work to my supervisor.
If payment is being made by a third party I will keep them informed if any sessions are cancelled/unattended, in order to give refunds if necessary (I will not however disclose any details of what has been shared in sessions).
In very rare cases I may be legally or ethically obliged to break confidentiality; for example where I consider your welfare or the welfare of others to be at risk (I will discuss this with you first if at all possible).
Privacy
Secure Storage: Your data is stored securely and confidentially and used in a safe and ethical manner, in line with EU General Data Protection Regulations May 2018. It is not shared with other people without your consent, except in circumstances in which I am required to by law. Right to Access: You have the right to ask for a copy of your personal information, free of charge, in an electronic or paper format. You also have the right to ask me to amend or change any incorrect information about you.
Right to be Forgotten: You have the right to ask me to erase any information that I hold about you. This includes your personal information that is no longer relevant to original purposes, or if you wish to withdraw consent. In all cases and when considering such requests, these rights are obligatory unless it is information that I have a legal obligation to retain.
Data Portability: As the client, you have the right to receive your personal information which you previously provided, and also have the right to transfer that information to another party. For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018, the data “controller” is Oli Sylvester.
Agreement
Please ensure you have fully reviewed the attached agreement and confirm that the terms are acceptable by email (click here). If you have any questions please feel welcome to contact me either by email (click here) or by phone (07491 967230)